Superfan
by Caitlyn O'Malley | Class of 2021 | Oct. 17, 2018
Johnathan Jones may not be a Hudson student, teacher, or parent, but he most definitely is a Pirate.
Jones first set foot in Pirate Nation six years ago. Hudson resident Rick Rustad works with Jones at Tyson and bonds with him over their love of sports. He invited Jones to watch Rustad’s son, 2013 graduate Isaiah, play. Jones accepted the invite and was glad he did so.
“It was so fun that I went back again, and then I went there some more,” said Jones. In fact, he has attended roughly 200 Hudson games since.
Any student who attends Hudson basketball, football, or volleyball games can certainly tell you that Jones is no fair-weather fan. No matter what the score is, he is the most positive, loud, and uplifting person in the stands. However, Jones says that it’s Hudson’s Pirates who pump him up.
“Team spirit, passion, and to cheer for the teams wakes a fire within me,” said Jones.
But that is not the only reason students love him. Most students can't get enough of his creative cheers. Jones created some of the cheers he uses to lead the Hudson student section when he attended Marshall High School in Chicago where he was a manager for many teams.
While there, Jones also attended cheerleader practices and learned every single one of their cheers. Of course, he admits he had to change them a bit for small-town Iowa.
Jones jokingly said, “We were a bit more savage in Chicago, so here, I had to tone it down a little.”
Even though Jones never played sports in high school, he has always had a passion for them. However, what he most enjoys when coming to the games is the students.
“I like seeing the kids happy to see me, it makes me happy”, said Jones. “They like me around, and I like being around them.”
He will always be cheering if we’re losing or winning, and he always has a positive attitude.
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He is a big part of our student section...He always starts the cheers, and he just gets people going.
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